Reverse mechanism for motor boats



May 15, 1923. 1,454,976 l. C. MATTHIESSEN REVERSE MECHANISM FOR MOTOR BOATS.

Filed Nov. '2 1921' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 15,1923.

rime. mtrcrrrmssnn, or I'II-IACA, new YORK.

REvn'rt-sn MECHANISM ron Moron .BOATS.

. Application filed November 2, 1921. Serial No. s'iassa i To all whom it mag concern: Be it known that I, IRAv C. MATTHInssnN, residing at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and'State of New York, a citizen of the 'United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reverse Mechanism for Motor Boats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same. 7 v

My invention relates to improvements in reverse mechanism for shafts, and more parto electrically operated reverse gear ticularly for the shafts of motor boats.

The invention-consistsin the several features, and in the construction, vcombination and arrangement'of such features astmore fully hereinafter described and claimed. v The object of the invention is to provide means for reversing the driving or driven shafts of a motor boat by electrical means, thereby eliminating the old style of manually operated v mechanical reversing mechanisms.

A furtherobject is to provide electrical means by 'which the reversing mechanism may .be" quickly and easily controlled from the bridge or any other position where it is mounted ona motor boat. y a

A further object is to provide the reversing means with armagnetic clutch which will, without'any undue strain or stress on the engine and shafts, cause the shafts to be engaged slowlyand take up the load slowly'and operatemore' evenly than if it were done mechanically.

A further object'is to provide means for; electrically controlling and reversing of the;

y power shafts of a motor boat located'within I easy reach of the navigator.

A still further object is to provide means for electrically controllingthe reversing of the power shaft of a motor boat which is exceedingly simple, inexpensive and durable in construction, and easy andeificientin op eration.

Referring to the drawings F igi "1 is a diagrammatic view of boat with my invention applied; i Fig. '2 is a side View partly in section Fig. 3 is a crosssectional view of a portion of two members ofthe magnetic clutch.

Fig. 4 is a face of one of the members;

of the magnetic clutch. i.

' closedin a casingbetween the a motor r f i Fig. 5 is a view showing the wiringruse'df in connection with my invention.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the drawings,- 1 represents a motor boat,"2

the drive or crank shaft oftheengine or other source of power for driving or ro-,

boat, mounted in a bear- 7 h1g3 of suitable character, 4 the driven or pellingi the motor propeller shaft mounted 6'5 1n bearings 5 and 6, the inner "ends of the shafts being en metal and' adapted to'be mounted suitable manner in a motor boat.

shaft 4 has a magnetic-disk 8 keyed thereon in such manner that it The inner end 'of the drive or 'craiik a -magnetic disk 10 having magnetic coils 11 and a short shaft 2 has keyed thereon sleeve 12 ismounted loosely on the shaft 2, magnetic disk 10 and the bear 7, made preferably. of in a -y 7 The inner end of the'driven or propeller permits the disk to i e slidelongitudinally, said disk having mag i mg '3 and islprovided With-an integral magnetic disk 13 having magnetic'c' fl :11 nd; i'

a gear 14 is keyed-on the loose sleeve-12,

The" reversing mechanism; fortheshafts is also enclosed in the casing 7 and com prises the gear'15 fixed on the "driven or propeller shaft .4 between the bearings 5 and 6, a loose or idle gear 16 isprovided' byl keying said gear on a 111 turn -1s ldly mounted in bearings'18'and 19 of the casing short shaft lt which 53- I 7, a gear'20 keyed; on an a auxiliary shaft'2l imounted' in bearings 22,

23 a'nd24 of thecasing,'thefgearj16" being in mesh with the gears15 and 20, a gear 25 fixed on the shaft 21 the gear 14 secured on" of the drive orcrank shaft-2."

or propeller shaft 4 trica'lly' connected to the magnetic; disk 1O by wires 30 30 passing through-holes in I the shaft 2 and wires3,4;.and"35 eachhaving 'a'brush '36 which contacts and'makes'elec trical connectionwith the slip rings-Q rings-e6 and 4 7: are also provided and'elec trically'connected to 'the' magnetic disk ldby-e I and meshing 1 with i the loose sleeve the crawings, 36 r presents a generator,

a casing enclosing the magnetic clutch mechanism and 38 the control switch having an operatinghandle 39.

When the handle 39 position it connects wires 4%.0 and in its left hand 41, wire 11 beingconnected to terminal 27, the magnets in 8, are energized by completing the circuit through wire 28 and the positive terminal of the generator 36 and at the same time wires 10 and as are connected, wire .43 being connected to terminal the magnets in 10 are energized by completing circuit through wire 34 and thepositive terminal of the generator 36? and disks 8 and 10 engage and power is transmitted from the drive or crank shaft 2 to the driven or propeller shaft 4-. The terminals 28, 32 and,3 l are positively connected to the positive terminal of the generator, 36

Whenhthehandlc 39 is in its vertical or neutral position all the circuits are broken or open and no power is transmitted to the drive or driven shafts.

lVhen the handle 39 is in its right hand position wires 40 and 4:3 are again connected and magnetic disk 10 is energized and at the same time wires 40 and 4-2 are connected, wire e2 being connected to terminal 33 and the magnets in18 are energized by completing the circuit through the wire 32 and the positive terminal of the generator 36 and disks 10 and 13 engage and power is transmitted from the drive or crank shaft through the reversing gears 14:, 25, 20, 16 and 15 and shafts 17 and 21 to the driven or propeller shaft 1, thereby reversing the rotation of the driven or propeller shaft.

Referring now particularly to Figure 2 of the drawings, the operation of the reversing mechanism, isas follows z- The magnetic clutch being in three parts 8,

J, ell e 10 and l when themagnetic disks 8 and 10 are energized, by closing the control switch, theyuattract each other and contact, by reason of their magnetic fields that are set up, and with; 10 rotating it will tend toudrag 8 along with it and the powerfrom the drive or crank shaft driven or propeller shaft 4 directly, but when the magnetic disks 10 and are energized the .power from the drive or crank shaft 2 will betransferred to the short shaft 21 throughigears 1a and 25, and to the driven 2 will he transferred to the adapted to be filled with lubricating oil, wl lethe compartment 451s, preferably,

partly filled with lubricating oil in. not to have a retarding effect onthefSO clutch mechanism. I

Where heavy work isto be done, andgthe magnetic fields are not strong enough to transmit all the power, disk, 8 is equipped: with feather key, that allows itcto move, a short distance along the shaft. When the magnets are energized disk-8 would be at: tracted to d 10, and establishifrictionali contact between their faces. The. Contact. would be over a large surface, so that wear r on them would be reducedto a minimum.

A spring could be usedto ,disengagethem;- when the current is shut off.- Disk 13; is. also slidably mounted on .its shafaby means of a feather key, so thatit cancmove into cent ct with the other face. of disklO;

The engine starting motor may be used: as a generator, or a separate. one supplied, By using a generator no batteries wouldber necessary, thus eliminating the extra-sexe pense and care of same.

Although l have described myinvention. as applied and used in .connectiomwith the, shafts of a motorboat, it isequally ap. plicable to any other. mechanism where n-. is desired to reverse theflmotion of (shafts.

I do not wish to be understood aslimit: ing myself to the specific. detailsof con-1- struction and arrangement. asnherein de; scribed and illustrated, as it is manifestfhat. 119 variations and modifications may bermadew in the features of construction and arrange: ment, in the adaption of the dcviceltowas rious conditions of use, withoutdeparting..-. from the spirit and scopeofmy invention:; and improvements. 1 therefore reserveithen right to all such variations and modificae tions' as properly fall within therscope of my invention and the terms of the follow-x. inc claims.

.What if claim is 1. .ln a device for reversing the directionof rotation of the driven shaft of a motor boat, crive shaft,aidrivenshaftpin align-r ment with the drive shaft, amagneticclutchy comprising an intermediate magnetic member fired on the drive shaft, a lateral mag, netic member loose on the drive Shaft and "a1 magnetic member slidable on the .rrven shaft, means for operativelyconnecting the loose magnetic member on the drive shaft With the driven shaft, and means for drive or causing the loose lateral magnetic member on the drivelshaft to contact With the fixed magnetic member on the vdrive shaft, and through themeans for operatively connecting said loose magnetic member With the driven shaft, reverse the direcf tion of rotation of the driven shaft.

2. In a device for reversing the direction of rotation of the driven shaft of .a motor boat, a driven shaft having a lateral slidably mounted magnetic clutch member and a.

fixed gear,'a drive shaft having a laterally slidable magnetic clutch member l0osely mounted thereon having a gear and an in termediate fixed magnetic clutch member,

means for operatively connecting the gear of the driven shaft with the gear of'the loosely mounted laterally slidable clutch member and means for successively energizing either of the laterally slidable magnetic clutch members, at a time, and the intermediate magnetic clutch member and causing them to contact for direct drive or through the medium of, the gears and the" means operatively connecting them revers-- ing the direction of rotation of said shafts" With relation to each other.

In testimony whereof Izhave aifixed my signature.

IRA MATTHIESYSEN. I 

